Modi's next election play is ensuring clean water in all 192 mn rural homes

Programme aims to supply at least 55 litres of potable water to each person per day by building new pipelines.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has endured over the years in part due to his focus on giving poorer Indians things like cooking gas, toilets and electricity. Now he wants every rural home to have water by the next national election in 2024.

The 3.6 trillion-rupee ($49 billion) program will put piped water in all of India’s 192 million rural homes -- more than all the houses in the U.S. -- over the next four years. That won’t be easy: Currently only 70 million Indian households have piped water, or about 36% of the target.